Bobby Rush: “Mr. Speaker, if you take a look at the AIDS crisis today, you will find some startling, disturbing, and, quite frankly…”

“Mr. Speaker, if you take a look at the AIDS crisis today, you will find some startling, disturbing, and, quite frankly, unacceptable statistics. Even though African Americans only make up 12.3 percent of the population, they account for 3 percent of all AIDS cases since the epidemic began. Black women have been hit the hardest, absolutely the hardest, with 72 percent of all AIDS cases for women being African American. The worst statistic of all, however, is that black Americans have the worst survival rate among all racial and ethnic groups, with only a 55 percent survival rate after 9 years, compared with 64 percent survival rates for whites. Mr. Speaker, these statistics illustrate in the starkest terms that racial disparities continue to exist when it comes to HIV/AIDS.”